Systems and methods for simultaneous electronic display of various modes of transportation for viewing and comparing

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating and displaying a comparison of multiple modes of transportation for reaching a destination. One method includes receiving a start location and a destination location, and stops in between, receiving information related to at least one third party operated mode of transportation from a third party determining data related to the at least one third party operated mode of transportation and at least one user operated mode of transportation, generating and displaying determined data for at least one option for each of the plurality of modes of transportation, receiving a selection of a sort category, and determining the option of each mode of transportation to be displayed and an order in which the modes of transportation are displayed based on the selection of the sort category.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to determining and displayingavailable modes of transportation for navigating geographical routesand, more particularly, to simultaneously displaying data related tomultiple modes of transportation.

BACKGROUND

In order to provide travelers or commuters with information related to anavigation route, traditional mapping services calculate routes usingpreset methods based on known mapping information, such as POIlocations, road locations, and physical distances between locations andnearby connected roads. Typical mapping systems generate only walking,biking, or driving directions using that mapping information. Usersgenerally have to rely on separate applications to view data related tothird party operated modes of transportation, such as publictransportation and application-initiated third-party transportation. Todate, users have no way to easily compare multiple modes oftransportation, at one time, in one screen and/or one clientapplication, not to mention the various costs, times, ETAs, wait times,elevation changes, number of transfers, convenience, and many otherfactors associated with selecting between those multiple modes oftransportation.

Accordingly, a need exists for systems and methods for generating anddisplaying information related to multiple, alternative modes oftransportation from an origin to a destination. More specifically, aneed exists for systems and methods for presenting data from multiplesources of information, for enabling users to make comparisons andinformed decisions when selecting between multiple, alternative modes oftravel.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods forexecuting a comparison tool that delivers information about modes oftransportation available for travel between a start location and adestination location. In some embodiments, additional stops may beincluded between the start and destination location. For example, a usermay request additional stops (e.g., stopping at the store on the wayhome) and/or the route may require additional stops (e.g., a user mayhave to walk to the B-cycle station to pick up a bike). Specifically,embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods fordisplaying data related to multiple modes of transportation on a singlegraphical user interface (GUI).

According to certain embodiments, methods are disclosed for generatingand displaying information related to multiple, alternative modes oftransportation from an origin to a destination. One method includesreceiving a start location and a destination location; receivinginformation related to at least one third party operated mode oftransportation from a third party; determining data related to the atleast one third party-operated mode of transportation and at least oneuser-operated mode of transportation; generating and displayingdetermined data for at least one option for each of the plurality ofmodes of transportation; receiving a selection of a sort category; anddetermining the option of each of the plurality of modes oftransportation to be displayed and an order in which the plurality ofmodes of transportation are displayed based on the selection of the sortcategory.

According to certain embodiments, systems are disclosed for generatingand displaying information related to multiple, alternative modes oftransportation from an origin to a destination. One system includes adata storage device storing instructions; and a processor configured toexecute the instructions to perform a method including: receiving astart location and a destination location; receiving information relatedto at least one third party operated mode of transportation from a thirdparty; determining data related to the at least one third party operatedmode of transportation and at least one user operated mode oftransportation; generating and displaying determined data for at leastone option for each of the plurality of modes of transportation;receiving a selection of a sort category; and determining the option ofeach of the plurality of modes of transportation to be displayed and anorder in which the plurality of modes of transportation are displayedbased on the selection of the sort category.

According to certain embodiments, a non-transitory computer readablemedium is disclosed as storing instructions that, when executed by acomputer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:receiving a start location and a destination location; receivinginformation related to at least one third party operated mode oftransportation from a third party; determining data related to the atleast one third party operated mode of transportation and at least oneuser operated mode of transportation; generating and displayingdetermined data for at least one option for each of the plurality ofmodes of transportation; receiving a selection of a sort category; anddetermining the option of each of the plurality of modes oftransportation to be displayed and an order in which the plurality ofmodes of transportation are displayed based on the selection of the sortcategory.

Additional objects and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will beset forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will beapparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of thedisclosed embodiments. The objects and advantages of the disclosedembodiments will be realized and attained by means of the elements andcombinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the scope of disclosed embodiments, as setforth by the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate various exemplary embodiments andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications system configured topresent users with data related to various modes of transportation,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of generating anddisplaying various modes of transportation, multiple options for aselected mode of transportation, and a route for and/or way to access aselected option of a mode of transportation, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for user input related tothe desired travel and available modes of transportation for selectionor for comparison, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for enabling usercustomization of available and/or comparable modes of transportation,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for user input related tothe desired start and end points, and waypoints/stops along the route,desired and/or estimated time/date of departure/arrival, and customizedmodes of transportation for selection or for comparison, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display oftransportation partners and information related to the partners' clientapplication/membership, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display and receiptof adjustable user preferences related to various modes oftransportation, including third party transportation partners, accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display andcomparison of at least one option for each of the various modes oftransportation, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display and selectionof criteria for sorting the various modes of transportation, accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display and acomparison of at least one option for each of the various modes oftransportation sorted by, in this case, e.g., an approximate arrivaltime at the destination location, according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display andselection of multiple options of public transportation as the selectedmode of transportation, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display of a way toaccess a selected option for public transportation, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display of a way toaccess a selected option, e.g., of intercity trains, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display of both (1)multiple options of a transportation mode, e.g., for a car shareservice, and (2) a way to access a selected option for the car shareservice, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display of datarelated to driving to a destination and a route for driving to adestination location, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display of multipleoptions for a selection of ride share as the mode of transportation,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display of both (1)multiple options of a transportation mode, e.g., for a bike shareservice, and (2) a way to access a selected option for the bike shareservice, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of an exemplary GUI for display of datarelated to biking to a destination location and a route displayed forbiking to a destination location, according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure; and

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system in whichembodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of theabove referenced issues and relates generally to improving userinteraction with a navigation system. Specifically, the presentdisclosure is directed to systems and methods for generating anddisplaying data related to multiple modes of transportation fortravelling from a start location to a destination location. The presentdisclosure involves enabling a user to view, e.g., displayed on a singlescreen, comparison data relating to at least one option for each ofmultiple modes of transportation. These modes of transportation mayinclude traditional modes, like driving and walking, as well asnontraditional or third party operated modes, such as taxis, car share,bike share, and ride share.

In one embodiment, the application may display several (e.g., two,three, or more) modes of transportation for comparison. For example, amobile application may display two or more so-called “quick directions”for each of multiple commonly used modes of transportation, including,e.g., “Drive,” “Walk,” and “Public.” The two or more modes selected fordisplay and comparison may be customizable. For example, if a user doesnot have a car, the displayed modes for comparison may be “Bike,”“Walk,” and “Public.” If the city has no public transportation, thedisplayed modes for comparison may be “Drive,” “Bike,” and “Car Share.”

In some embodiments, data related to options utilizing multiple modesmay be displayed (e.g., within available modes of transportation section710 of FIG. 8). For example, there may be several routes that use morethan one mode of transportation to travel from a start location to adestination location (and/or additional stops there between). Forexample, one option may be to drive to a train station, take the trainto another city, use a bike share at the train station, and then bike tothe destination location. In another example, another option may be tobike from a start location to a car share car and then drive to thedestination location. Another option to be displayed may be to get aride share to drive to a shuttle bus pick up location, ride the shuttlebus to an airport, and fly to a destination location. A further optionfor display may be to walk to a local train station (e.g., the subway,metro, etc.), take the local train to the end of the line, and take acab the rest of the way home (e.g., destination location). FIGS. 12, 13,14, and 17 include exemplary illustrations of the above describedmulti-modal options. With each of these options, a user must, walk,bike, drive, etc. in order access a second mode of transportation, e.g.,a bus stop (FIG. 12), an intercity train station (FIG. 13), a car sharecar (FIG. 14), and a bike share bike (FIG. 17). The above are merelyexamples and options/routes for display may include any number and/orcombination of modes of transportation.

Data related to each mode of transportation may be displayed to the userfor direct comparison and evaluation of each displayed mode. Forexample, travel time and/or the monetary cost for the user to travelfrom the start to the destination location for each mode oftransportation may be displayed. This data may additionally oralternatively include any information the user expressly requests and/orthe application developer chooses to display for various modes oftransportation. Moreover, the type of displayed data may depend on themode displayed (e.g., altitude change may be displayed for a bike route,but may not be of interest when a user is evaluating a bus route).

In some cases, the information displayed for comparison may be sorted.If a user selects a category to sort by, the information displayed maybe varied in a number of ways. For example, sorting may determine whichmodes of transportation are displayed, the order the modes aredisplayed, which option (e.g., route, car type, bus line) is displayedfor each mode, and/or the data displayed for each mode. In oneembodiment, a user may request to sort the displayed options for eachmode of transportation by ETA, travel time, cost, convenience, “pain,”weather, length of walking, elevation changes, reliability, or context(e.g., a user may indicate he/she is with friends and thus the easiestroutes and/or routes with the least traffic may be prioritized), etc. Insome cases, the system may determine which option (e.g., route, car, busline) to display for each mode of transportation based on one or moresort options, weighting factors, and/or preferences selected by the userand/or application. For example, if the user prioritizes or sorts bycost, the system may select the cheapest option for each transportationmode, before sorting the modes by cost. If the user prioritizes or sortsby ETA, it may select the option with the soonest ETA for eachtransportation mode, before sorting the modes by ETA.

This disclosure further includes importing and/accessing data from thirdparty application program interfaces (APIs). For example, the “public”data may be imported from a city's public transportation website. Inaddition to public transportation, data related to ride sharing, bikesharing, taxis, trains, buses, planes, car rentals, etc., may beimported from third party APIs.

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of acommunications system 1 configured to enable comparisons of at least oneoption of multiple modes of transportation. In general, system 1 mayinclude of plurality of entities, devices, databases, and/or serversconfigured to communicate through a network 5, such as the Internet. Theexample of system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes various user devices10, servers 35, satellite 55, third party transportation APIs 60, andcondition source/database 70.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, user devices 10 may include one or moremobile electronic devices 15, which may be a smartphone, a personaldigital assistant (“PDA”), a tablet computer, or other type of mobilecomputing device, such as a device having a touchscreen display. Mobiledevice 15 and computer 25 may each be equipped with or include, forexample, a GPS receiver for obtaining and reporting locationinformation, e.g., GPS data, via network 5 to and from any of servers 35and/or one or more GPS satellites 55. GPS device 20 may be a dedicatedGPS navigation device having an integrated GPS receiver for exchanginglocation information with GPS satellite(s) 55 for purposes of tracking acurrent geographic location of GPS device 20 and its user. GPS device 20may be a portable or handheld GPS device. Vehicle navigation system 30may be implemented as, for example, a GPS based in-dash navigationsystem integrated with the vehicle 30. Such an in-dash navigation systemmay provide various functions, including a navigation function, via acenter console display installed within the vehicle.

However, it should be noted that each of user devices 10, includingmobile device 15, GPS device 20, computer 25, and/or vehicle navigationsystem 30, may be implemented using any type of electronic deviceconfigured to send and receive data, including location data (e.g., inthe form of latitude and longitude coordinates), to and from a system ofservers 35 over network 5. The user input device(s) may include any typeor combination of input/output devices, such as a display monitor,touchpad, touchscreen, microphone, camera, keyboard, and/or mouse.

Furthermore, it should be noted that any of various techniques may beused to derive geographic location information for any of user devices10, particularly in cases where GPS data may not be available, forexample, in urban canyons or other locations where line-of-sight to GPSsatellites may not be feasible. Examples of other techniques that may beused for deriving location information for any of user devices 10include, but are not limited to, cell identification (e.g., using CellID), cellular tower triangulation, multilateration, Wi-Fi, or any othernetwork or handset based technique for deriving location information fora mobile device. The various user devices 10 may also communicate witheach other by any suitable means (e.g., via Wi-Fi, radio frequency (RF),infrared (IR), Bluetooth, Near Field Communication, or any othersuitable means) to send and receive location and other information. Forexample, a mobile device 15 may communicate with GPS device 20 orvehicle navigation system 30.

In one embodiment, each of user devices 10 may be configured to executea mobile client application for providing various functions of a mappingservice hosted at mapping sever systems 35. Examples of such functionsmay include, but are not limited to, determining available modes,determining various routes or options for each available mode, viewingand manipulating digital maps, and route planning and navigation. Theclient application executable at each user device 10 may be configuredto process and execute instructions and save data in memory. The clientapplication may also be configured to provide the various mode or optioncomparisons and/or mapping functions to the user through a GUI, such asthe GUIs of FIGS. 3-18, presented via a display, e.g., capacitivetouch-screen display, coupled to each user device 10. The clientapplication executable at each user device may be a standalone mobileapplication or may be configured to execute within, for example, a webbrowser based on web page data loaded within the browser or similarapplication executable at each of user devices 10.

For example, the user device 10 may receive information via the network5 from the system of servers 35, having one or more servers such asmapping routing servers 40, route condition servers 45, user interfaceservers 50, and/or any other suitable servers. Each server in the systemof servers 35, including mapping routing server 40, route conditionserver 45, and UI server 50 may each represent any of various types ofservers including, but not limited to a web server, an applicationserver, a proxy server, a network server, or a server farm. Each serverin the system of servers 35 may be implemented using, for example, anycomputing systems configured for serving data to other computing devicesincluding, but not limited to, user devices 10 (including mobile device15, GPS device 20, and computer 25) or any other computing device (notshown) via network 5. Such a computing system can include, but is notlimited to, a server device having a processor and memory for executingand storing instructions. The memory may include any type of randomaccess memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM) embodied in a physicalstorage medium, such as magnetic storage including floppy disk, harddisk, or magnetic tape; semiconductor storage such as solid-state disk(SSD) or flash memory; optical disc storage; or magneto-optical discstorage. Software may include one or more applications and an operatingsystem. Hardware can include, but is not limited to, a processor,memory, and graphical user interface display. Each server may also havemultiple processors and multiple shared or separate memory componentsthat are configured to function together within, for example, aclustered computing environment or server farm.

The mapping routing server 40 may have a processor configured toretrieve mapping information and generate routing information.Additionally or alternatively, mapping routing server 40 may include aprocessor configured to retrieve and/or provide data to/from third partytransportation APIs 60 such as, for example, those of ride shareservices, car share services, bike share services, taxis, and/or publictransportation. Route condition server 45 may include a processorconfigured to retrieve route condition information and/or provide routecondition information from condition source database 70 or third partysources. Additionally or alternatively, route condition server 45 mayhave database that is a subset of condition source/database 70 or aseparate database of historic average speeds, route terrain, speedlimits, current and/or historic traffic data, elevation change along theroute, average parking spots, tolls, number/location of police along thepath, average distance from parking to destination, etc. The userinterface server 50 may be configured to generate and display GUIsdisclosed with respect to FIGS. 3-18, receive and process user input,such as mode, partner, route, and/or condition preferences.

The mapping routing server 40 may receive information regarding a user'strip, such as a start location, destination location, and any user routeand/or mode preferences directly from the user device 10 via the network5 or indirectly via the user interface server 50. The mapping routingserver 40 may save the information in memory, such as a computerreadable memory. Mapping routing server 40 may then calculate variousroutes and determine modes of transportation from the receivedinformation. This may be determined by comparing the receivedinformation to known routes, such as roadways and bike paths, existingand internal algorithms, and/or by accessing third party APIs, e.g.,third party transportation APIs 60. For example, the mapping routingserver 40 may be in communication with one or more other servers, suchas the route condition server 45 and/or external servers, such asservers of third party transportation APIs 60. The third partytransportation APIs 60 may include those of slug lines, ride shareservices, car share services, bike share services, publictransportation, airlines, boat services, ferries, intercity buscompanies, intercity train companies, and any other APIs affiliated withinformation related to travelling from one location to another. Theinformation provided by third party transportation APIs 60 may bedisplayed to the user or used to derive information, such as routes,distances, durations, ETA, etc., to be displayed to the user. Forexample, a ride share service may provide wait time data that may bedisplayed in a compare modes screen (e.g., FIG. 8)

The route condition server 45 and/or condition source/database 70 maystore or have access to data from other users, traffic reports, weatherreports, police reports, road construction, and/or any other source ofrelevant information. The route condition server 45 may process theinformation for display on the user device 10. As will be described infurther detail below, such a condition source/database 70 may be used(e.g., by route condition server 45 and/or mapping routing server 40) tostore and retrieve data related to certain conditions along the route.The data associated with the routes or points along the route mayinclude, for example, current speeds, historic average speed, postedspeed limits, construction zones, speed cameras, location of policeofficers, stopped vehicles, current traffic, parking spots atdestination, terrain, elevation changes, accidents, weather, specialevents, and/or rush hour. In some examples, system 1 may access andretrieve the traffic or route condition data stored or developed oncondition source or database 70 via a network 5. The retrieved trafficand/or condition data may be used for display and/or processing by oneor more user devices 10, such as a mobile device 15 (e.g., mobile phone,personal digital assistant, tablet computer), a GPS device 20, acomputer (laptop, desktop, tablet) 25, an in-vehicle navigation system30, and/or any device connected to a network 5, such as the Internet,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method 100 forgenerating and displaying data related to multiple modes oftransportation available for travelling to a destination. For purposesof discussion, method 100 will be described using system 1 of FIG. 1(including mapping routing server 40, route condition server 45, andcondition database/source 70), as described above, but method 100 is notintended to be limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 2, method 100 includessteps 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, and 114. However, it should be notedthat method 100 may include more or fewer steps as desired for aparticular implementation. In an example, one or more of theabove-listed steps of method 100 may be executed by servers 35 and/orcondition source/database 70 of FIG. 1, as described above. However,method 100 is not intended to be limited thereto, and the steps ofmethod 100 may be performed by any server or other type of computingdevice having at least one processor, a memory, and a networkcommunication interface for sending and receiving information from oneor more user devices.

FIGS. 3-18 are illustrations of exemplary GUIs produced, e.g., by UIserver 50 during various steps of method 100. These GUIs may be providedby a mapping service provider or any other entity and may includevarious graphical icons and visual indicators. The GUIs may be presentedon any suitable electronic device having a display. In some embodiments,the GUIs may be accessible (e.g., for viewing and interacting) on awebsite accessible by an electronic device. In other embodiments, theGUIs may be accessible on a mobile navigation application of anelectronic device, e.g., user devices 10.

Method 100 may begin at step 102, which may include receiving, from auser over a network, a destination location for presentation of ageographical route on an electronic map on a device of the user. Theuser may input both a start and destination location, or for example,the start location may be the current location of the device. In someembodiments, the user may input an address, an intersection, geographiccoordinates, or a point of interest as the destination location. In step104, various available modes of transportation may be determined and/orreceived from third party APIs. In some embodiments, the modes oftransportation may be determined by, for example, mapping routing server40 of FIG. 1. The various modes of transportation may be received from,for example, third party transportation APIs 60 of FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, multiple and/or available modes of transportationmay then be displayed. FIG. 3 illustrates a GUI for display of variousmodes of transportation. As shown in FIG. 3, the GUI may include routeinformation section 202, a quick directions section 210, “View OtherOptions” icon 212, “Compare These” icon 216, and/or “Compare More” icon214. Route information section 202 may include time of departure 204,starting location 206, and/or destination location 208. A user may setthe time of departure section 204 to be the current time or any time inthe future. A default setting may be set for the time of departuresection 204. In some examples, the default setting for the time ofdeparture may be the current time, the next 5, 10, or 15 minuteincrement, and/or a common time for this or other users to requestdirections (e.g., setting the time of departure from a downtown locationto 6:15 p.m. because this user often leaves downtown at 6:15 p.m.).Starting location 206 may include the current location, as shown in FIG.3, or an address, POI, geographic coordinate, or intersection input bythe user.

The quick directions section 210 may include any number and/orcombination of transportation modes available for selection. In someexamples, these may be the top/best/favorite modes of transportation, asdetermined by the application developer and/or as set by the user. Insome examples, quick directions section 210 may include only one mode oftransportation. The singular mode of transportation displayed in quickdirections section 210 may be determined in any way including, but notlimited to, randomly, assumed by the developer, sponsored by a partner,and/or as recommended based on a variety of factors including, but notlimited to the start and destination locations.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the modes of transportationavailable in the quick directions section 210 may include driving,walking, or taking public transportation. In examples in which anapplication developer sets the modes of transportation in the quickdirections section 210, the application developer may use any criteria.In some examples, an application developer may receive compensation foradding a partner's services (e.g., a specific car share company) and thequick directions section 210 may be initially set with that partner'sicon. In some examples, a user's current location may not be accessibleto public transportation and the application developer may not includepublic transportation in the quick directions section 210.

In some embodiments, the quick directions section 210 may be customizedby the user. For example, a user may select the view other options icon212. Selecting the view other options icon 212 may result an overlay,pop-up, and/or new GUI consistent with that shown in FIG. 4. As shown inFIG. 4, a portion of the route information section 202 may be visible,but a section for customization may be displayed over the GUI of FIG. 3.This section may include the current quick directions modes 304, thealternative modes for quick directions 306, and an update button 308.The user may “drag and drop” and/or “rearrange” icons within the currentquick directions modes 304 and/or alternative modes for quick direction306 to add an alternative mode from the alternative modes section 306 tothe current quick direction modes 304. In one example, the user may nothave a car. In such an example, the user may select the “x” within the“Drive” icon of the current quick directions modes 304. Such a selectionmay remove “Drive” from the quick directions options. In the example inwhich a user does not have a car, but does have a bike, a user may addthe “Bike” mode from the alternative modes 306 into current quickdirections modes 304. Once the user arranges the quick directions modes304 as desired, the user may select the update icon to finalize thecurrent quick directions modes 304. In the example in which a user doesnot have a car, but does have a bike, the user may arrange and updatethe quick directions section 210 as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the bikeicon 260 has replaced the “Drive” icon within quick directions section210.

At any point (e.g., before or after customization) a user may select amode of transportation within the quick directions section 210 (e.g.,bike icon, walk icon, or public transportation icon of FIG. 5), “CompareThese” icon 216, and/or “Compare More” icon 214. Selecting a single modeof transportation within the quick directions section 210 may result ina GUI that displays a route and/or a way to access directions with theselected mode (e.g., direction to a metro station or the ability torequest a ride share car). For example, selecting the “Drive” iconwithin quick directions section 210 may result in a GUI similar to thatof FIG. 15, selection of the “Bike” icon may result in a GUI similar tothat of FIG. 18, and so on.

Selecting the “Compare These” icon 216 may result in a GUI that displaysone or more types of mode comparison data (e.g., cost, time of arrival,wait time, calories, carbon impact, etc.) of at least one option (e.g.,a route, car share vehicle, ride share vehicle, bus routes, etc.) foreach of the modes of transportation in the quick directions section 210.In some embodiments, only options for the modes of transportation in thequick directions section 210 are displayed (e.g., “Bike,” “Walk,” and“Public” when “Compare These” element 216 is selected in FIG. 5). Insome examples, options for other modes of transportation are alsodisplayed, but the modes in the quick directions section may be listedfirst.

Selecting the “Compare More” icon 214 may result in a GUI that displaysone or more types of comparison data (e.g., cost, time of arrival, waittime, calories, carbon impact, etc.) of at least one option (e.g., aroute, car share vehicle, ride share vehicle, bus routes, etc.) for eachof the modes of transportation listed within the “Compare More” icon214, as well as additional/alternative modes of transportation.

In some embodiments, the user may customize the available modes (e.g.,quick direction modes and/or compare modes) in any way. For example, auser may be presented with available partners as shown in GUI 502 ofFIG. 6. GUI 502 may include ride share section 504, car share section506, and/or public transportation section 508. In some examples,partners (e.g., modes of transportation connected or in a businessrelationship with the client application) may additionally oralternatively include bike share, airlines, taxi companies, ferries,boats, intercity buses, intercity trains, car rentals, and/or any othercompany that assists in transporting a person from one location toanother.

In the ride share section 504, the GUI 502 may display the current rideshare partners, if any, of the application developer. Examples of rideshare partners may include, but are not limited to, Lyft, Uber,DrinkFree, etc. In the car share section 506, the GUI may display acurrent car share partner, if any, of the application developer.Examples of car share partners may include, but are not limited to,Car2Go, ZipCar, etc. The public transportation section 508 may beincluded only in locations with public transportation and/or publictransportation that allow the application developer to access routes,schedules, delays, etc. In some examples, the public transportationsection 508 may be included when the public transportation informationis available through an API.

In embodiments in which accessing a partner's services involves the userto installing a client application on the user device and/or signing upfor membership, the option to do so may be displayed to the user in aGUI, for example, GUI 502. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, theride share partner may prompt the installation of a client applicationin order to access the ride share services. The installation statusbutton 505 may indicate whether a client application has been installed.If the client application has not been installed, installation statusbutton 505 may indicate the lack of installation by, for example,displaying the text “Install App.” In some examples, if the user selectsthe installation status button 505 when the button indicates a lack ofinstallation, the user may be directed to a web page, an app store,and/or client application to install the related client application.Similarly, in the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the car share partnermay prompt a user to have a membership. In such an example, GUI 502 mayinclude a membership button 507. If the user is not a member of the carshare service (or has not supplied membership information), themembership button 507 may indicate the lack of membership by, forexample, displaying the text “Sign Up.” In some examples, if the userselects the membership button 507 when the membership button 507 isindicating a lack of membership, the user may be directed to a web page,app store, and/or client application to sign up for a membership orprovide membership verification. If a user's membership has previouslybeen established and/or verified, the membership button 507 may indicatethe membership. The membership button may indicate membership by, forexample, displaying the text “Member.”

FIG. 7 illustrates additional and/or alternative ways to customize theapplication, including by modifying which modes of transportation aredisplayed, and/or an order the modes of transportation are displayed.GUI 602 of FIG. 7 may include route option choice 604, measurementchoice section 606, and/or mode preferences section 608. In the exampleshown in FIG. 7, a user may select preferences using a sliding button.It should be noted that the sliding buttons of FIG. 7 are merelyexemplary. A user may select settings/preferences in any way including,but not limited to, text input, one click buttons, rating, dragging,ranking, etc. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, route option choice604 is a user choice between the fastest route and the route with theleast traffic. In other examples, a user may choose from the options inroute option choice 604, the shortest route, the route with the fewesttolls, and/or the route with the lowest total cost of tolls, and so on.In some examples, the user may be able to scale or weigh route choiceoptions. For example, a user may rate or rank options. Measurementchoice section 606 may be a user element enabling the user analternative option between displaying distance with miles or kilometers.

Mode preferences section 608 of GUI 602 may include options to hide rideshare, car share, and/or public transportation. For example, a user maynot be a member of an available car share service (or in some examples,the specific car share company partnered with the app from FIG. 6) andmay deselect and/or slide the indicator next to “hide car share” to the“on” position. In such examples, the car share options will not bedisplayed to the user when the user requests a route. In someembodiments, a user may have the option of hiding other forms oftransportation, including but not limited to, ride share, publictransportation, bike share, bike, and/or walk. The user may be able tovary when and where modes of transportation are hidden. For example, auser may choose to hide public transportation options when in New YorkCity, but not when in Chicago. A user may choose to hide car shareoptions from 7:00-9:00 a.m., because the user does not want to driveduring rush hour.

Returning to method 100 of FIG. 2, in step 106, data received and/ordetermined for at least one option for each of the various modes oftransportation may be generated and displayed. FIG. 8 illustrates anexample of the displayed data for at least one option of each of thevarious modes of transportation. In some examples, the GUI of FIG. 8 isdisplayed due to the selection of the “Compare More” icon 214 of FIG. 3.The GUI of FIG. 8 includes route locations section 702, departure timesection 704, sort section 706, weather section 708, and available modesof transportation section 710. It should be noted that step 106 may bedisplayed with any GUI, more or fewer sections and data, and/or anyconfiguration of data.

Weather section 708 may include a visual indicator of weather (e.g., thesun symbol of FIG. 8). The visual indicator may be the current weatherfor that point along the route, including, but not limited to, the startlocation, locations along a route, a location to access a mode oftransportation, and/or the destination location. Additionally andalternatively, a weather indicator may indicate predicted weather at thedestination location at an estimated (or, in some embodiments, anaverage estimated) time of arrival. In some examples, actual weather maybe displayed as part of a map (e.g., electronic map 1110 of FIG. 12.)The actual weather may be represented on the map as radar images and/oranimations. The user may then see a visual indication of where aparticular weather pattern currently is and/or where the weather patternis going. In some examples, the order of routes are displayed and/or theroutes themselves may be influenced by the weather. For example, adeveloper may assume snow would slow traffic and would either directaround areas expect to get snow during the estimate travel time.

Departure time section 704 may be set by user. For example, a user mayselect the current time, “now,” as the departure time (as illustrated inFIG. 8) and/or any time in the future. Available modes of transportationsection 710 of FIG. 8 may include data related to leaving at the time inthe departure time section 704 to get from the start location to thedestination location of the route locations section 702 using one of theoptions displayed for each mode of transportation. As shown in FIG. 8,the displayed modes may include, for example, walking, biking, driving,taking public transportation, riding in a ride share service, or takinga taxi, and the displayed information may include one of the optionsavailable for each of the displayed modes. For example, in oneembodiment, data related to only one route is displayed for each ofwalking, biking, and driving. Data related to only one route of publictransportation, one ride share vehicle, and one taxi is displayed, andso on. In some embodiments, options may be displayed that utilizemultiple modes of transportation (e.g., multi-modal directions). As anexample, the public transportation option is a multi-modal option as itrequires 0.4 miles of walking (first mode) and riding in publictransportation (second mode). Multi-modal options may include any numberof modes in any combination and/or order.

A route for each mode of transportation may be calculated based on thereceived start and destination locations and accessed mapping/routingdata. The routes may be calculated by mapping routing server 40 ofFIG. 1. The data related to each option may be received from conditionsource/database 70 of FIG. 1, a traffic server, or third partytransportation API 60 (e.g., wait time and/or number of available carswithin a certain distance may be received from a ride share API; and/orcurrent delay times, distance to access of public transportation, and/ornumber of transfers to reach destination may be received from a publictransportation API). Some data, including but not limited to,historical/average speeds, speed limits, elevation changes, terrain,number of stop signs/traffic signals, weather, and/or road type along aroute may be stored in a database, such as, for example, conditionsource/database 70 or a server, such as, for example, route conditionserver 45.

In step 106, any data related to the modes of transportation may bedisplayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, for each available mode oftransportation, an estimated time to reach the destination locationand/or an estimated cost of reaching the destination location may bedisplayed (e.g., far right two columns in the available modes oftransportation section 710). In some embodiments, the data displayed inthe available modes of transportation section 710 may include the“arrive by” time for some or all of the displayed options. In someembodiments, different data may be displayed for different modes oftransportation. For example, as shown FIG. 8, the data related to anoption (e.g., a route) for walking to the destination location mayinclude, but is not limited to, an approximate number of calories thatwill be burned (e.g., based on human averages, national averages, cityaverages, gender averages, and/or the specifics statistics of the user),distance with sidewalks, terrain (e.g., smoothness of path), distancewith dedicated bike/walk paths, distance on two/four/six lane roads,number of stop lights, and/or the total distance the user will need towalk to reach the destination location. In another example, the datarelated to an option (e.g., a route) for biking to the destinationlocation may include, but is not limited to, the change in elevationincluding whether that change is higher or lower (as shown in the secondto left column of available modes of transportation section 710), therate at which elevation changes, the terrain (e.g., smoothness of thepath), distance with and without bike lanes, distance on dedicated biketrails, approximate calories burned, and/or total distance (as shown inthe second to left column of available modes of transportation section710).

In examples in which the available mode of transportation is driving ordriving with a ride share, car share, or taxi, displayed data mayinclude traffic volume (e.g., light traffic, medium traffic, heavytraffic, standstill, etc.), number and/or cost of tolls, type of roadsto be travelled (e.g., two-lane roads, highways, dirt roads, etc.),number of stop signs/traffic lights, number of turns, and/or totaldistance to the destination location. In examples in which an availablemode of transportation involves waiting for the transportation to arrive(e.g., public transportation, ride share, and/or taxi), displayed datamay include wait time, ratings of driver or system, average delay,current delay, etc. In an example in which a user must travel to accessthe mode of transportation (e.g., public transportation, intercitybuses, intercity trains, car share, bike share, etc.), the displayeddata may include distance to transportation (e.g., distance to busstop), walk time to transportation, etc. Other data may include numberof ride share cars, car share cars, and/or bike share bikes availablewithin a certain distance of the start location, the type of car sharecars and/or ride share cars available, the number of transfers (e.g.,for public transportation, intercity buses, intercity trains, planes),and/or any other information related to an option for a mode oftransportation.

As described with respect to FIGS. 3-7, the display of modes oftransportation may customized by the user. Additionally or alternativelyto the customization described above, available modes of transportationmay be sorted by the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the sortsection 706 is set to sort by approximate cost. This setting may be aninitial setting, may be assumed by the developer, and/or may be set bythe user. Since sort section 706 is set to sort by approximate cost, theavailable modes of transportation in the available modes oftransportation section 710 are listed in order of approximate cost withthe least expensive (e.g., free) listed first and continuing down as themode of transportation becomes more expensive to reach the destinationlocation. It should be noted that sorting may be done at any time,including, as initial set-up, when the destination location is input,and/or as shown in FIGS. 8-10, e.g., after data related to various modesis displayed for comparison.

The sorting of modes of transportation may be changed in any way. In theexample shown in FIG. 8, a user may select the sort section 706. In someexamples, sort section 706 may be a drop down menu. In some examples,selecting the sort section 706 may cause a new GUI to be displayed. Inone example, as shown in FIG. 9, sort categories section 802 may bedisplayed over the compare modes GUI of FIG. 7. The available modes oftransportation may be sorted by any criteria, including, but not limitedto those illustrated in FIG. 9, including approximate cost 806, time808, healthiness 810, and/or convenience 812. Other, not shown, examplesof categories for sorting include environmental impact, safety, time theuser will be in the elements, scenery, etc. As shown in FIG. 9, some ofthe criteria for each sort category is displayed as bold text (e.g.,“ETA” in time 808, “calories burned” in healthiness 810, and “pain” inconvenience 812). In some embodiments, aspects of each sort category maybe weighed differently. The aspects displayed with bold text in the GUIof FIG. 9 may, for example, carry more weight in a sorting algorithm.For example, the “ETA” may have a greater effect on which routes oroptions are displayed and/or the order of display than the total triptime and/or status when the user chooses to select time as the sortcategory.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary GUI of when the modes of transportationare sorted by time. In this example, the mode of transportation with theearliest arrival time (e.g., driving) is listed first within modes oftransportation section 910.

In some examples, the options for each mode of transportation mayadditionally or alternatively be sorted based on a characteristic (e.g.,by the selection of a category of the sort selection 706). For example,it may be determined that the driving mode of transportation may haveseveral options (e.g., routes) to drive from the start location to thedestination location. A first route may take seven minutes but involvefive dollars in tolls and the second route may take nine minutes buthave no tolls. If the selected sort category is the characteristic ofapproximate cost (e.g., walking and biking may be listed first, like inFIG. 8), not only would the order of the modes of transportation changeso that the least expensive is listed first, the option for each mode oftransportation may change (e.g., for the driving option, the secondroute may be displayed because it has no tolls). If the selected sortcategory is the characteristic of time instead, the order of the modesof transportation may change (e.g., walking may take the most amount oftime and may therefore be listed last) and/or the displayed option foreach mode of transportation may change (e.g., the first route may bedisplayed as it takes two less minutes than the toll-free route).

In some examples, the sort category selected may affect the data that isdisplayed in the GUI. In some examples, a quantitative value for thecharacteristic of the selected sort category may be displayed in the farright column of available modes of transportation section. For example,as shown in the GUI illustrated in FIG. 8 (e.g., when the characteristicof approximate cost is the selected sort category), a quantitative valuefor the characteristic of approximate cost for each mode oftransportation is the data that is displayed in the far right column ofthe available modes of transportation section 710. Similarly, as shownin the GUI illustrated in FIG. 10 (e.g., when the characteristic of timeis the selected sort category), a quantitative value for thecharacteristic of time for each mode of transportation is the data thatis displayed in the far right column of the available modes oftransportation section 910. FIGS. 8 and 10 are merely exemplary and thecharacteristic related to the selected sort category may be displayedanywhere in the GUI.

Returning again to method 100 of FIG. 2, once data for at least oneoption for each of the various modes of transportation has beengenerated and displayed in step 106, method 100 may proceed to step 108.In step 108, a selection of one of the various modes of transportationmay be received from the user over the network. In some examples, a usermay select public transportation from a GUI displaying at least oneoption for each of the various modes of transportation (e.g., step 106and/or a selection from available modes of transportation section 710 ofFIG. 8 and/or available modes of transportation section 910 of FIG. 10).It should be noted that in some examples, a user may select publictransportation from the GUIs of FIGS. 3, 4 and/or 5, essentiallyskipping steps 104 and 106.

Multiple options for the selected mode of transportation may begenerated and/or displayed (step 110). The generation and/or display maybe performed by mapping routing server 40 and/or UI servers 50. In someexamples, these multiple options may have previously been generated inor before step 106. In some examples, only one option for each mode oftransportation is generated in step 106 and additional options aregenerated in step 110. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of multipleoptions being displayed when a user selected public transportation(e.g., selecting public transportation from FIG. 3, 5, 8, or 10). TheGUI of FIG. 11 includes route locations section 1002, departure timesection 1004, selected mode 1020, weather section 1008, availableoptions section 1010, and available options 1005, 1006, and 1007. Insome examples, weather section 1008 may display weather at the arrivaltime and location (as shown in FIG. 11), the departure time andlocation, along the route, the highs and lows for the day, the currentweather, etc.

Available options section 1010 may include any number of options for theselected mode of transportation. In the example shown in FIG. 11, threeoptions (options 1005, 1006, and 1007) of public transportation aredisplayed. Data related to each option may be displayed. For example,the displayed data may include the estimate time of arrival, the variousbus/subways lines, number of transfers, cost, the walk time/distanceinvolved before and/or after accessing the public transportation, thetotal ride time, the number of stops, the departure time, and/or thefrequency at which the bus/subway departs.

Once the multiple options for the selected mode of transportation aredisplayed (e.g., FIG. 11) in step 110, a selection of one of the optionsmay be received from the user over the network (step 112). A route forand/or way to access the selected option may be generated and displayedin step 114. FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary GUI when a user selectsone of multiple options displayed for public transportation (e.g.,selection of option 1005 of FIG. 11). In FIG. 12, a way to access theselected public transportation, the “First Step,” is displayed. Inaddition, a route locations section 1102, a departure time section 1104,a selected mode of transportation section 1120, a selected optioninformation section 1106, a start button 1112, and an electronic map1110 may also be displayed. It should be noted that FIG. 12 is merelyexemplary and the GUI generated in step 114 of method 100 may includeany information, including any combination of the information displayedin FIG. 12, information related to the route, information related to howto access the mode of transportation, any information a user may desireto view, etc. Electronic map 1110 may include a start location 1130 andan access location 1140 (e.g., the location to access the selected modeof transportation.)

The electronic map 1110 may be of any suitable form and/or type of view,such as a map view, satellite view, live traffic view, etc. Theelectronic map 1110 may be any suitable size to be displayed by anelectronic device. It should be noted that the description of electronicmap 1110 may be applied to electronic map 1210 of FIG. 13, electronicmap 1310 of FIG. 14, electronic map 1410 of FIG. 15, electronic map 1610of FIG. 17, and/or electronic map 1710 of FIG. 18.

The view of the electronic map 1110 may be manipulated in any suitablemanner (e.g., zoomed in and out, rotated, panned, etc.). The electronicmap 1110 may be of any scale, e.g., transcontinental, continental,region, state, city, neighborhood, campus, etc. The electronic map 1110also may include various identifiers, e.g., geographic markers,landmarks, road names, etc. and may be automatically electronicallyupdated.

The electronic map 1110 may include a route between a start location1130 and one or more locations (e.g., access to public transportation1140 or destination location listed in route information section 1102).The locations may be any locations identifiable on the electronic map,for example, a specific address (e.g., 123 Green St. Any town, CA),point of interest (“POI”) location (e.g., Wrigley Field), generalgeographic location (e.g., Denver, Colo.), intersection (e.g., 1^(st)St. and Broadway, exit 29A), access point for mode of transportation(e.g., metro station), etc. The start and access locations 1130, 1140may be any distance from each other and/or any direction relative toeach other. The route 1135 may be determined or received in any way.

The route 1135 may be along one or more portions of local streets,highways, bridges, etc. The route 1135 may be traversed in any suitablemanner, e.g., via motor vehicle, bicycle, foot, public transit, plane,boat, etc. The route 1135 also may include various visual indicators toidentify various attributes of the route 1135. For example, traffic flowalong the route 1135 at various times may be identified using differentcolors or combination of colors, visual effects (e.g., animation, pop-upnotes, etc.), etc. Road restrictions, tolls, bridge heights,construction, etc., also may be shown along the route 1135.

As previously mentioned, method 100 may include more or fewer steps thanthose illustrated in FIG. 2. FIGS. 13-18 illustrate examples in whichstep(s) are not performed, steps are combined, and/or steps areperformed out of order. In one example, once data related to at leastone option for each of various modes of transportation is generated anddisplayed (step 106 and/or FIG. 8) and a user selects one of these modes(step 108), method 100 may proceed directly to step 114 and a route forand/or way to access the selected mode of transportation may begenerated and displayed. In an example in which a user selects intercitytrains (e.g., Amtrak), a way to access the intercity train station maybe displayed. FIG. 13 illustrates such an example. FIG. 13 includes astart button 1202, first step option button 1204, overview button 1206,step by step button 1208, and electronic map 1210. Electronic map 1210may include the start location, access location (e.g., location toaccess the Amtrak train), and a route to get from the start location tothe destination location. Selecting first step button 1202 may displaythe first step in the directions. In the example of FIG. 13, the firststep in directions may include accessing the mode of transportation(e.g., travelling from the start location to the intercity trainstation). Selecting the overview button 1206 may display the entireroute from start location to destination location and step by stepbutton 1208 may allow the user to view one step of the directions at atime or a list.

In some embodiments, multiple steps of method 100 may be combined and/ordisplayed in a single GUI. For example, within the same GUI, multipleoptions for a selected mode of transportation are displayed (e.g., step110) and a way to access at least one option of the selected mode oftransportation is displayed (e.g., step 114). Such an embodiment,wherein a user selected a car share service as the mode oftransportation, is illustrated in FIG. 14. For example, electronic map1310 of FIG. 14 may include multiple options for the car share service.For example, a user may select a car share icon 1330, 1332, or 1334 toreserve a car at a location corresponding to the location of the carshare icon in electronic map 1310.

FIG. 14 also includes a route locations section 1302, a departure timesection 1304, a selected mode of transportation section 1320, a selectedoption information section 1306, and a reserve car button 1312. Selectedoption information section 1306 may include any information related tothe selected route, including but not limited to, travel time ordistance to the nearest available car, location of nearest availablecar, current traffic along route, estimated time for driving (includingwith current traffic and without traffic), the approximate cost, theapproximate departure and arrival times, the type of car available, anoption to view more routes, etc. If a user selects the reserve carbutton 1312, the user may be directed to the car share partner's clientapplication and/or web page.

In some embodiments, the application may reserve a car automatically,without additional user action, when the user selects the reserve carbutton 1312. In such embodiments, the automatically reserved car may bethe nearest car to the start location, the cheapest car, and/or the carthat would result in the earliest arrival time (e.g., one car may becloser, but it is on a street facing in the opposite direction of thedestination location). It should be noted that FIG. 14 is merelyexemplary and the display generated in steps 110 and/or 114 of method100 may include any information, including any combination of theinformation displayed in FIG. 14, information related to the route,information related to how to access the mode of transportation, anyinformation a user may desire to view, etc.

In some examples, steps 110 and 112 may not be performed, and once aselection of one of the various modes of transportation is selected,method 100 may proceed to step 114 and generate and display a route forthe selected mode of transportation. For example, if a user selectsdrive (in step 108, from FIG. 7 or 9, and/or route directions afterselecting car share or ride share), a route may be displayed for drivingfrom a start location to a destination location. FIG. 15 illustrates aresulting exemplary GUI. In FIG. 15, only one option (e.g., a singleroute 1435 from start location 1430 to destination location 1440 ofelectronic map 1410) is displayed. The route may be determined in anyway, including but not limited to, set user preferences (e.g., setpreferences of FIG. 7), sorting of modes of transportation (e.g., sortsection 706 of FIGS. 8 and 10), initial settings, developer assumptions(e.g., an assumption that users prefer the shortest route), etc.

FIG. 15 also includes a route locations section 1402, a departure timesection 1404, a selected mode of transportation section 1420, a routeinformation section 1406, and a start button 1412. Route informationsection 1406 may include distance to travel, approximate current time todestination, approximate time to destination without traffic,approximate departure and arrival times, approximate cost, approximatetime to park, approximate cost to park, walking time/distance fromaverage parking spot, option to access more routes, carbon footprint,number of stop signs, turns, and/or stop lights, number of police alongthe route, etc. It should be noted that FIG. 15 is merely exemplary andthe displayed/generated information from step 114 of method 100 and/or aselection of driving may include any information, including anycombination of the information displayed in FIG. 15, information relatedto the route, information related to how to access the mode oftransportation, any information a user may desire to view, etc.

In some embodiments, steps 112 and 114 of method 100 may not performed.For example, FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary GUI resulting from a userselecting ride share as the mode of transportation in step 110. Once theride share mode of transportation is selected, a GUI similar to that ofFIG. 16 may be displayed. FIG. 16 includes a route locations section1502, a departure time section 1504, and mode of transportation section1506. FIG. 16 includes three types of cars to reserve. The first rideshare option 1505 displays data related to regular cars (e.g., sedans),the second ride share option 1507 displays data related to large cars(e.g., SUVs, minivans, etc.), and the third ride share option 1509displays data related to town cars (e.g., Lincoln town car). The numberand type of cars displayed and/or available through a ride share partnerare merely exemplary. The displayed data related to each type of rideshare may include, but is not limited to, a wait time (e.g., shortestapproximate weight time, average weight time), number of cars within acertain distance or time of the start location, approximate arrival ofthe car at current/start location, approximate arrival time at thedestination location, the approximate cost, and a button to request aspecific type of car (e.g., a regular car from ride share option 1505).If a user selects a button to request a ride share car, a user may bedirected to the ride share partner's client application, web page, etc.and not to step 114 to display the route. In some embodiments, once acar is requested from the ride share partner, the user may automaticallybe returned to this client application and/or given the option torequest display of the driving route/direction or the drivingroute/directions may automatically be displayed upon exit of the rideshare partner's client application, web page, etc. It should be notedthat FIG. 16 is merely exemplary and the displayed generated in steps114 of method 100 may include any information, including any combinationof the information displayed in FIG. 16, information related to theroute, information related to how to access the mode of transportation,any information a user may desire to view, etc.

Similar to the selection of the car share mode of transportationresulting in FIG. 14, a selection of bike share for the mode oftransportation may result in multiple options for a selected mode oftransportation (e.g., step 110) and a way to access at least one optionof the selected mode of transportation (e.g., step 114) displayed in asingle GUI. For example, electronic map 1610 of FIG. 17 includesmultiple options (e.g., locations of available bikes) for the bike shareservice. For example, a user may choose a bike share location byselecting a bike share icon 1630, 1632, or 1634 in electronic map 1610.Electronic map 1610 also includes a way to access at least one of thebike options (e.g., a route to travel from a start location to alocation of available bike 1630).

FIG. 17 also includes a route locations section 1602, a departure timesection 1604, a selected mode of transportation section 1620, a selectedoption information section 1606, and start directions button 1612.Selected option information section 1606 may include any informationrelated to reserving a bike and/or biking from a start/available bikelocation to a destination location. For example, selected optioninformation section 1606 may include elevation changes (includingspecific increases and decreases), total distance needed to travel tothe bike share location and/or bike to the destination location,estimated departure and arrivals times, estimate caloric burn, estimatecarbon footprint, the availability of other routes, etc. It should benoted that FIG. 17 is merely exemplary and the display generated insteps 110 and/or 114 of method 100 may include any information,including any combination of the information displayed in FIG. 17,information related to the route, information related to how to accessthe mode of transportation, any information a user may desire to view,etc.

In some embodiments, directions to bike from a start location and/oravailable bike location to destination location may be displayed. Forexample, a user may select the start directions button 1612 from FIG.17. In another example, a user may select the bike icon 260 from thequick directions section 210 of FIG. 5 or the bike mode oftransportation from FIG. 8 or 10. In these examples, a route may beautomatically displayed (e.g., step 114 of method 100), instead ofperforming step 110 of method 100 by displaying multiple options (e.g.,routes to bike from a start to a destination location). As shown in FIG.18, such a GUI for biking directions may include a route locationssection 1702, departure time section 1704, mode of transportationsection 1720, route data 1706, start direction button 1712, and/orelectronic map 1710. Electronic map 1710 includes a bike route fromstart location 1730 to destination location 1740. It should be notedthat bike routes may differ from driving routes between the samelocations. For example, there may be bike paths that car cannot drive onor highways that cannot be biked on.

Selected option information section 1706 of FIG. 18 may include anyinformation related to biking from a start location to a destinationlocation. For example, selected option information section 1706 mayinclude elevation changes (including specific increases and decreases),total distance to bike to the destination location, estimated departureand arrivals times, estimated caloric burn, estimated carbon footprint,the availability of other routes, weather along the route, etc. Itshould be noted that FIG. 18 is merely exemplary and may include anyinformation, including any combination of the information displayed inFIG. 18, information related to the route, information related to how toaccess the mode of transportation, any information a user may desire toview, etc.

FIG. 19 provides a functional block diagram illustration of a computerhardware platform consistent with the present disclosure. FIG. 19illustrates a network or host computer platform 1900, as may typicallybe used to implement a server like the mapping server system 35. It isbelieved that those skilled in the art are familiar with the structure,programming, and general operation of such computer equipment and as aresult, the drawings should be self-explanatory.

A platform for a server or the like 1900, for example, may include adata communication interface for packet data communication 1960. Theplatform may also include a central processing unit (CPU) 1920, in theform of one or more processors, for executing program instructions. Theplatform typically includes an internal communication bus 1910, programstorage, and data storage for various data files to be processed and/orcommunicated by the platform such as ROM 1930 and RAM 1940. The hardwareelements, operating systems, and programming languages of such equipmentare conventional in nature, and it is presumed that those skilled in theart are adequately familiar therewith. The server 1900 also may includeinput and output ports 1950 to connect with input and output devicessuch as keyboards, mice, touchscreens, monitors, displays, etc. Ofcourse, the various server functions may be implemented in a distributedfashion on a number of similar platforms, to distribute the processingload. Alternatively, the servers may be implemented by appropriateprogramming of one computer hardware platform.

Program aspects of the technology may be thought of as “products” or“articles of manufacture” typically in the form of executable codeand/or associated data that is carried on or embodied in a type ofmachine-readable medium. “Storage” type media include any or all of thetangible memory of the computers, processors or the like, or associatedmodules thereof, such as various semiconductor memories, tape drives,disk drives and the like, which may provide non-transitory storage atany time for the software programming. All or portions of the softwaremay at times be communicated through the Internet or various othertelecommunication networks. Such communications, for example, may enableloading of the software from one computer or processor into another, forexample, from a management server or host computer of the mobilecommunication network into the computer platform of a server and/or froma server to the mobile device. Thus, another type of media that may bearthe software elements includes optical, electrical and electromagneticwaves, such as used across physical interfaces between local devices,through wired and optical landline networks and over various air-links.The physical elements that carry such waves, such as wired or wirelesslinks, optical links, or the like, also may be considered as mediabearing the software. As used herein, unless restricted tonon-transitory, tangible “storage” media, terms such as computer ormachine “readable medium” refer to any medium that participates inproviding instructions to a processor for execution.

The many features and advantages of the disclosure are apparent from thedetailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claimsto cover all such features and advantages of the disclosure which fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the disclosure. Further, sincenumerous modifications and variations will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to theexact construction and operation illustrated and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the disclosure.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving a start location and a destination location; receivinginformation related to at least one third party operated mode oftransportation from a third party; determining data related to the atleast one third party operated mode of transportation and at least oneuser operated mode of transportation; generating and displayingdetermined data for at least one option for each of the plurality ofmodes of transportation; receiving a selection of a sort category; anddetermining the option of each of the plurality of modes oftransportation to be displayed and an order in which the plurality ofmodes of transportation are displayed based on the selection of the sortcategory.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed data for thedisplayed option of each of the plurality of modes of transportationincludes at least a characteristic related to the selected sortcategory.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sort category may be atleast one of approximate cost, travel time, healthiness, andconvenience.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one optionfor each mode of transportation is determined based on time to arrive atdestination, approximate cost to user to reach destination, healthiness,or convenience.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receivinga selection of one of the plurality of modes of transportation, andgenerating and displaying multiple options for the selected mode oftransportation.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: receivinga selection of one of the options for the selected mode oftransportation; and generating and displaying a route for or a way toaccess the selected option.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein themultiple options are routes from the start location to the destinationlocation.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the multiple options are atleast one of a type of car, a location to access bike share, a locationto access car share, and a bus line.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe at least one third party operated mode of transportation is at leastone of car share, ride share, bike share, public transportation,intercity buses, intercity trains, airplanes, ferries, and taxis. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one user operated mode oftransportation is at least one of biking, walking, running, swimming,driving, and boating.
 11. A system including: a data storage devicestoring instructions for providing a linear visual indicator of routeconditions; a processor configured to execute the instructions toperform a method including: receiving a start location and a destinationlocation; receiving information related to at least one third partyoperated mode of transportation from a third party; determining datarelated to the at least one third party operated mode of transportationand at least one user operated mode of transportation; generating anddisplaying determined data for at least one option for each of theplurality of modes of transportation; receiving a selection of a sortcategory; and determining the option of each mode of transportation tobe displayed and an order in which the modes of transportation aredisplayed based on the selection of the sort category.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the displayed data for each mode of transportationincludes at least a characteristic related to the selection of the sortcategory.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the sort category may beat least one of approximate cost, travel time, healthiness, andconvenience.
 14. The system of claim 11, further comprising: receiving aselection of one of the plurality of modes of transportation, andgenerating and displaying multiple options for the selected mode oftransportation.
 15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:receiving a selection of one of the options for the selected mode oftransportation; and generating and displaying a route for or a way toaccess the selected option.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein themultiple options are routes from the start location to the destinationlocation.
 17. The system of claim 14, wherein the multiple options areat least one of a type of car, a location to access bike share, alocation to access car share, and a bus line.
 18. The system of claim10, wherein the at least one third party operated mode of transportationis at least one of car share, ride share, bike share, publictransportation, intercity buses, intercity trains, airplanes, ferries,and taxis.
 19. A computer readable medium storing instructions that,when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a methodincluding: receiving a start location and a destination location;receiving information related to at least one third party operated modeof transportation from a third party; determining data related to the atleast one third party operated mode of transportation and at least oneuser operated mode of transportation; generating and displayingdetermined data for at least one option for each of the plurality ofmodes of transportation; receiving a selection of a sort category; anddetermining the option of each mode of transportation to be displayedand an order in which the modes of transportation are displayed based onthe selection of the sort category.
 20. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising: receiving a selection of one of the plurality of modes oftransportation, and generating and displaying multiple options for theselected mode of transportation.